EMAIL/LETTER TEMPLATE TO MP/MAYORAL CANDIDATE

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Simply fill in the name of your MP at the top, and your name at the bottom.
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Dear 

It is unacceptable that the government is doing nothing to stop Uber from destroying the licensed London Taxi trade, a national icon.

It has been reported in the press that Uber despite being a US$50bn US headquartered company and generating a lot of business in the UK pays less tax than just 4 individual London taxi drivers. I understand from an interview George Galloway did with Steve McNamara (General Secretary of the LTDA) that Uber has a company in the Netherlands where it benefits from lower tax rates. There are various OECD initiatives looking at similar tax structures of companies and understand that the UK has recently adopted new tax laws addressing them. It is difficult to understand why the government is so supportive of a company which is taking away business from lifelong UK tax payers when it hardly pays any tax in the UK.

Tfl which sets London Taxi fares argue that Uber is encouraging competition and giving consumers choice but this is at the expense of putting at risk the livelihood and eventual employment status of 25,000+ men and women who are licensed London Taxi Drivers. it is not only the drivers who are being affected but the manufacturers of London Taxis, mechanics, call centre staff and 'knowledge' trainers etc.

Tfl set licensed London Taxi fares high. Uber is aggressive with its strategy. It is offering extremely low prices, a 'race to the bottom '. This, unless stopped will leave Licensed Taxi Drivers unable to compete on price. Price is something which Licensed Taxi Drivers are unable to control. Unfortunately, as things stand, there is an obvious outcome- Uber will price so low until it is the only provider on the market. At that stage, it will be almost certain that Uber will increase its prices.

The Licensed London Taxi trade also supports the concept of Social Mobility. It is a qualification which many men and increasingly women from working class backgrounds go into.

The taxi drivers are hard working, have passed the 'knowledge' which requires high levels of skill, memory, dedication and commitment. The Licensed London Taxi trade provides good role models to future generations that perhaps without academic qualifications you can work hard to have a solid and previously secure lifelong profession. This opportunity for Social Mobility for Taxi Drivers and their families is being taken away by completely unfair competition.

The safety of London Uber customers seems to be a low priority of Tfl. Firstly, Licensed London Taxi Drivers are required to have an insurance policy (Hire and Reward) which covers passengers in the unlikely event of any accidents. Uber drivers are not currently subject to the same insurance requirements which is unsafe and irresponsible. They are merely required to have Third Party Fire and Theft policies in order to get passed as a licensed mini cab driver by Tfl. Such insurance only covers the third party and this lack of insurance protection allowed by Tfl is not in the best interests of the public.

Secondly it has been reported that Tfl are not keeping the public informed of the sexual attacks which are purportedly being carried out by mini cab drivers. By not sharing this information it is not allowing the public to make an informed choice about their transport options.

Finally, does it seem right that the head of our government is associated with senior Uber staff, given the involvement of the government in the support of Uber?

What do you propose to do to support the licensed London Taxi drivers?

Yours sincerely,

UNCHECKED AND DANGEROUS

WHY ARE SOME PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS EXEMPT FROM DBS (CRB)

This cannot be allowed to continue.

Asylum Seekers and Refugees looking to become Minicab drivers are exempt from the usual DBS checks.

On Transport for London's Private Hire application form, asylum seekers and refugees are not obliged to have their Criminal Records checked.

Someone living here for six months, may only have a DBS check for that period.

Tfl state, with regard to overseas criminal records checks, no such checks will be made in respect of those applicants who declare that they are in possession of or who have applied for refugee or asylum status.

Why? Because it might put the applicant at risk, if they are sent home.

I can understand that.

But surely that means the applicant cannot fulfill the criteria needed to become a Private Hire driver.

While the authorities are looking after the safety of the Asylum Seeker or Refugee, they are not looking after our wives and daughters.

MP Nick de Bois said: "They should not be offering licences to those they can't check on.
They could be putting vulnerable members of the public in the hands of thieves, murderers and rapists. It beggars belief."

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks the applicant's background.

If the DBS cannot prove that the applicant is a fit and proper person, then that person should not be awarded a Private Hire License.

Lawrence Webb, UKIP candidate, said: "No one should be issued with a minicab license unless they have first undergone a criminal records check.
If that prevents foreign nationals from driving a cab, so be it."

Let us not forget, Minicab drivers were involved in the Rotherham Child Sex Scandal, ferrying victims around to be abused.

The onus should be upon the applicant to prove their fitness.

If the applicant cannot prove a criminal free history for at least five years, they should not be given a Private Hire License until they can prove that they are crime free for that period.

This is the standard time people with minor criminal records are expected to stay 'clean', until they can apply for a license.

Asylum Seekers are banned from working until their claim for asylum has been approved.

So why are TfL offering them a license to work?

Let us not forget that a Minicab driver will, at some point, be alone with a child, a vulnerable person, or and inebriated person, during the course of their working day.

Of the two, which is the worst scenario?

a) Someone may not become a Minicab driver for five years.

b) A girl is raped in a Minicab on her way home.

#dadsdefendingdaughters

THE TROUBLE WITH TOUTS

THE MET POLICE ARE UNDERSTAFFED AND TFL ARE UNINTERESTED

So how do we tackle the threat from Illegal Touts?

Existing legislation and precedent already in place, is enough to deal with correct background checks, health check ups, proper insurance and capping.
The problem is, TfL are not up to the task.
But if the new Mayor of London is strong enough to shake up TfL and tell the Prime Minister to back off. Then these problems could be sorted with ease.

Touting is a real danger. Not just the theft of someone's livelihood, but the clear and present danger of sexual predators prowling the streets of London.
Police routinely check touts' vehicles for rape kits and weapons.
So it is accepted amongst the authorities that there are too many of these unsavoury characters out there.

Since the Government's austerity cuts and decimation of London's Emergency Services, there are not enough police to make much of an impression on London's tout epidemic.
So what is needed are proper deterrents.
The Met should charge touts with 'Kidnap'.
A tout enticing an inebriated female into his car with promises of getting her home, is not dissimilar to a paedophile enticing a child into his car with promises of sweets.
They are in effect attempting to kidnap them.

Charge touts with kidnap, and this endemic problem of the City and West End will be solved overnight.
Charge any doorman soliciting a crime, with aiding and abetting.
If it is the tout's second offence, or they are a registered sex offender, the sentence would be expected to carry some serious time.

Do we really have to wait for the wife or daughter of someone famous or in high office, to get attacked, before something is done.
Let's bolt the gate shut before the horse has noticed, this time around.

#dadsdefendingdaughters

WHO DO WE BLAME?

WE BLAME DAVID CAMERON’S INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH UBER, AND HIS INTERFERENCE WITH PH REGULATION.

Riding roughshod over the welfare of our wives, daughters, sisters and mothers, to keep his friends cosy.

The extent of minicab/Uber rape and sexual assault is being kept from the public, by TfL and a news blackout by (most) media groups.
We feel the biggest crime in Cameron’s edict to Boris, “Leave Uber alone.”, is the threat to the public at large from unregulated PH.
These unctuous lobbyists and MPs promoting Uber, clearly regard a few quid above the safety of the public.
They do not care about us. They never have.

We wish to highlight the fact that the population in London is accelerating, whilst this Government cuts services. Minicabs have swelled to 100,000.
600 new PH licenses are being issued by TfL every week.
London’s roads are congested with an extra 40,000 minicabs in the past eighteen months. Every street and road is a construction site. Pollution and congestion is out of control. TfL and Boris Johnson have totally failed London; neither are fit for purpose.

Uber cannot possibly compete with Taxis. They are more of a financial threat to PH, than us.
So in order to compete with Taxis, Uber must flood the market, to be able to offer a Londonwide coverage with an Uber around every corner – hence the thousands of extra cars on the road and Uber drivers outnumbering the demand.
I would suggest that congestion has more of a detrimental effect to my job, than Uber can ever hope to achieve.
The crux of the matter is although legislation and cab law is already in place, it is not implemented.
If TfL were allowed to do their job as regulator, without interference from Cameron and Osborne, Uber would just be another Private Hire company, like Addison Lee or Green Tomatoes.
But because Uber are allowed carte blanche, and not have to abide by the rigorous background checks, correct hire and reward insurance, medical check ups, and every other expensive hoop Taxi drivers have to jump through, they can minimise their expenditure and maximise their profit. All at the expense of London’s public safety.

How can TfL do a background check on someone who has only lived here for six months?
The onus should be upon the PH applicant to ‘prove’ his/her fitness. If they cannot, then they should not be given the benefit of the doubt, when public safety is at risk.
Would this same system apply to applicants seeking a position of caring for vulnerable people or young children?

We will make public all those who lobby and support Uber and deregulation, putting money before public safety. Rape and Sexual Assault will become synonymous with their name and company they work for.

We are men of straw. We want little and need less.

#dadsdefendingdaughters

ABOUT US

DADS DEFENDING DAUGHTERS

DDD came to life through three Licensed London Taxi Driving Grandfathers; Danny Hussey, Sean Pier and Lenny Etheridge, who have six daughters.
Their concern was for the welfare of their daughters travelling in minicabs.

A unified cab drivers' fight against a government supported conglomerate, brought to light the dangers of an intentionally deregulated system, where a corrupt regulator turned a blind eye to rape and sexual and assault to appease rich investors and greedy politicians.
Thus the sleeping giant of Dads Defending Daughters was woken.

We are parents first - Taxi drivers second.


#DadsDefendingDaughters